Work of the Entry-Level Analysis Project Begins

(May 30, 2012) Members of the Entry-Level Analysis Project (ELAP) released a project description detailing the workings of the group, its planned activities and its goals.

The ELAP work group, a product of Leadership Summit conversations over the most recent eight months, includes eight members expert in massage curriculum development, teaching and research assessment. The ELAP work group will conduct a research project to identify the essential elements of foundational massage curriculum through analysis of a number of massage profession project outputs, surveys and resources. The use of detailed learning outcomes maps will allow for an accurate recommendation of hours related to competent teaching of essential topics.

Entry-Level Analysis Project Project Description

Introduction

What is entry-level massage therapy education? What should core content encompass? How many hours

of education are necessary for learners to obtain the basic knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed

to enter the massage profession and build a viable practice or work successfully as an employee? Many

regulatory agencies have settled on a 500-hour benchmark, but how they and the massage profession arrived

at this number is unclear. Additionally, a variety of topics are taught within or excluded from a 500-hour

curriculum based on the philosophy undergirding each particular training program. As well, the influence of

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